124th U.S. Open: 10 big winners and losers from Round 3

Bryson DeChambeau had himself a strong day, shooting a 3-under 67, despite needing treatment on his hip during the third round. After a bogey on the par-4 fourth, DeChambeau was to get going with birdies on No. 5 and 7 for an under-par front nine. On the back nine, the 2020 U.S. Open Champion made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 10^th and the par-4 11^th to take the lead and become the first player this week to get to 7-under par. His lead went from four to two with a double bogey on the par-4 16^th before making one of just four birdies on the par-3 17^th to have a three-shot lead.

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Ludvig Aberg struggled and was a little off his game today compared to what he did in the first two rounds. Aberg was at even par through 12 holes with two birdies and two pars but stumbled on the par-4 13th when he made a triple bogey as he was unable to control his shots around the green. He has ranked 90th, 93rd and 71st in strokes gained short game over the first three days of the U.S. Open. Outside of that, Aberg has been solid as he is trying to become the first player to win in their debut since Francis Ouimet in 1913.

Related: Where Francis Ouimet stands on the list of U.S. Open Champions

Matthieu Pavon, who bogeyed the last two holes in Friday’s second round to surrender the lead entering the weekend, had a strong start Saturday shooting 3-under through his first 10 holes. As he made three birdies on the front nine, he did not put a red circle on the back nine with two bogeys. The key to his 1-under 69 was that he ranked third on the day, shaving off 2.56 strokes on the approach. With a deficit heading into the final, he will try to become the first Frenchman to win a U.S. Open trophy tomorrow.

Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 U.S. Open struggles continued, firing a 1-over 71 in the third round. Scheffler, who did not make a birdie in Friday’s second round, made two bridies, but had three bogeys around them for his fourth consecutive round over par, dating back to the final round of the Memorial tournament last week. It marks the first time in Scheffler’s professional career to have four consecutive rounds not in the red numbers.  

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Like Pavon, Rory McIlroy also shot 1-under par on Saturday to climb to 4-under par through 54 holes. McIlroy got his day going with a birdie on the par-4 third, a hole that was playing 71 yards closer than the previous two days. McIlroy, who is trying to win his first major title in 10 years and first U.S. Open in 13 years, made two birdies in a three-hole stretch to get to 6-under before giving both of those strokes back with bogeys on holes No. 15 and 17, both par-3s.

After shooting an opening round 5-under 65, Patrick Cantlay has done his best just to stay afloat near the top of the leaderboard. In the second and third rounds combined, Cantlay has shot 1-over par. On Saturday alone, although he ranked second in the field in strokes gained putting, Cantlay ranked near the bottom of the field hitting, just 7-of-13 fairways needing to scramble as he also only hit 8-of-18 greens in regulation. Luckily, Cantlay is still in a position to contend and go after that first major championship.  

Also read: Winners and losers from the Opening round of the 2024 U.S. Open

When the U.S. Open was last held on the East Coast, Matthew Fitzpatrick hoisted the trophy on Sunday in 2022. This time, Fitzpatrick did not have the same experiences as he did two years ago at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. This week has been a struggle, lowlighted by shooting a 9-over 79 in Saturday’s third round, including making back-to-back double bogeys on the par-4 fourth and the par-5 fifth, while not making a birdie.  

Collin Morikawa took advantage of moving day. Morikawa, who began the day tied for 51^st, shot a bogey-free 4-under 66, highlighted by making two birdies in a three-hole stretch in the middle of his round. By getting to even par, Morikawa moved into a tie for ninth place. Morikawa joined Davis Love III in 2010 and Kiradech Aphibarnrat in 2018 as the only golfers since 2000 to have moved from outside the top 50 after the second round at a U.S. Open to the top 10 in the ensuing third round. The best part of Morikawa’s game was hitting putting, leading the field in strokes gained putting, shaving off nearly four strokes on the putting surface.

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Wyndham Clark has not struggled mightily like Fitzpatrick, but he has been able to score low and have a few under-round scores. Through 54 holes, Clark shot back-to-back 1-over 71s following his opening round 3-over 73 to be at 5-over par and tied for 32nd. As much as Clark has had success on the greens, especially on Saturday, he struggled elsewhere, primarily off the tee and with his approach. Clark only 4-of-14 fairways, which ranked 63rd and 6-of-17 greens in regulation, ranking 54th. He also ranks dead last in fairways hit this week.

Related: Where Wyndham Clark stands in this week’s world golf rankings

There will not only be a battle on Sunday to determine the U.S. Open champion but also the low amateur. The two frontrunners – Neal Shipley and Luke Clanton – are both 4-over and tied for 25th. Clanton, who shot 70-69 in final qualifying, was one of six players to shoot under par or better on Saturday with a 1-under 69 while Shipley, shot a 1-over 71 in the third round. Shipley is trying to become the sixth player to earn low amateur status at both the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year, joining Viktor Hovland in 2019, Matt Kuchar in 1998, Phil Mickelson in 1991, Sam Randolph in 1986 and Jack Nicklaus in 1960.

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